Shipment from Health Partners International of Canada will save lives of
people affected by disease which has struck nearly 20,000

MONTREAL, Sept. 25, 2012 /CNW/ - A large donation of a vitally needed
treatment for cholera is on its way from the Montreal pharmaceutical
company Pharmascience Inc. to the African country of Sierra Leone to
treat people there who have been stricken by cholera in a serious
outbreak of the disease which started earlier this year.

The donation has been made by Pharmascience to Health Partners
International of Canada (HPIC) and will be sent by the Montreal-based
relief and development agency to Sierra Leone in partnership with Plan
Canada, which is active in the West African country.

With almost 20,000 people infected and close to 300 killed by the
outbreak to date, the Government of Sierra Leone has declared the
cholera outbreak in the country a public health emergency. The alarming
situation is linked to Sierra Leone's past conflict, which caused a
massive migration to cities, leading to overpopulation, poor water and
sanitation. Cholera is a contagious, acute intestinal infection spread
through contaminated food or water and can kill within hours without
treatment.

Pharmascience is donating 15 pallets of its Pendopharm brand Pediatric
Electrolyte, worth close to $70,000. Oral rehydration is exactly what
is urgently needed since 80 per cent of people with cholera can be
successfully treated if they have timely access to oral rehydration
solution.

"This is a serious humanitarian crisis that has received little notice
in Canada," said Glen Shepherd, President and CEO of HPIC. "We are very
grateful to Pharmascience for stepping up to make this impressive
donation that will undoubtedly save many lives."

Pharmascience has been a long-time generous donor of medicines to HPIC
for overseas humanitarian use, making major annual contributions as
well as special donations such as this in response to particular
international crises. Over the past five years, Pharmascience has
donated products to HPIC with a wholesale value of $23.5 million,
making it one of the most generous product donors in the Canadian
pharmaceutical industry.

About Pharmascience Inc.

Founded in 1983 in Montreal, where its headquarters remain, privately
held Pharmascience Inc. is Quebec's largest manufacturer of generic
drugs. Through its International Division, its products are exported to
60 countries around the world. It also makes and distributes patented
prescription and over-the-counter treatments through its Pendopharm
division while its Aegera Division is researching innovative new
biotechnology therapies. Pharmascience is one of Canada's leading
corporate investors in research and development and employs more than
1,300 people, primarily in Montreal. www.pharmascience.ca.

About HPIC

Health Partners International of Canada is a humanitarian not-for-profit
relief and development organization dedicated to improving access to
medicine and enhancing health in the developing world. HPIC contributes
to well-being by providing donated essential medicines, supplies and
vaccines, building national health sector capacities, and responding to
emergencies and health threats. We partner with a network of ministries
of health, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and healthcare
professionals, with pharmaceutical and healthcare product companies,
and with Canadian government departments; and we count on the financial
support of individual donors, foundations and corporations. Because of
our unique model, HPIC multiplies every donated dollar to provide,
without discrimination, at least $10 of free medical aid. www.hpicanada.ca.

SOURCE Health Partners International of Canada

Image with caption: " David Goodman, right, Chief Executive Officer, Pharmascience Inc., makes a symbolic presentation of a box of the company's Pediatric Electrolyte cholera treatment to Michel Harpin, Executive Director, Industry Relations, Health Partners International of Canada (HPIC), inside a trailer being loaded at a Pharmascience distribution centre in Montreal, Quebec. Pharmascience donated 15 pallets of the treatment to HPIC for immediate shipment to Sierra Leone to fight a serious outbreak of cholera in the West African country. (CNW Group/Health Partners International of Canada)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20120925_C9432_PHOTO_EN_18457.jpg